The interaction of C60 with Ag(100):: strong predominantly ionic bonding

Core level and valence band photoemission, as well as X-ray absorption experiments, as a function of temperature have been performed on the C-60 monolayer deposited on Ag(100) and polycrystalline Ag surfaces. Although the interaction of C-60 with polycrystalline Ag can be classified as prevalently ionic of intermediate strength, in agreement with the interaction observed on other metallic surfaces where a charge transfer to C-60 occurs, the bonding with Ag(100) reveals a new kind of interaction, namely a strong predominantly ionic bonding, able to induce the C-60 decomposition prior to the complete desorption of the monolayer. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.